I went to the doctor’s office last week.  I have a lot of different medical conditions, and as we were discussing one of them, my doctor suggested that I go on a particular medication to try and ameliorate one of the symptoms of this disease.  However, this particular drug is contraindicated in patients who have a clotting disorder, which I have.  My doctor knows of my clotting condition, yet wasn’t thinking of it, or the side effects of the drug, when she suggested it.

I reminded her of my clotting disorder, and she agreed that I should not be on the suggested medication.  No harm, no foul.

However…

I couldn’t keep from wondering about other patients.  What if they didn’t know the ramifications a medication could have on other medical conditions that they have?  What if they blindly trusted the suggestions of their doctor?

It’s not a question of the doctor’s culpability — everyone makes mistakes and can’t be expected to keep everything in mind.  This is why on most patient’s medical charts, a list of their allergies is featured prominently.  So that a medication to which the patient is allergic would not be accidentally prescribed.  However, I am not aware of any such alert system for other medications which might be contraindicated for whatever reason.

Perhaps another section should be featured on medical records?  A list of medications which should not be prescribed for the specific patient?